I have successfully set up a wiki online. (small applause) Not too painful to do, yet I can see it will take roughly two hours a week of my time to moderate. Now the challenge has become getting my students regular access to computers at school. Digital learning is bringing about growing pains, at least on our campus. The labs are usually booked and the laptop carts I had been relying on are more popular with other staff members so I'm sharing those more than using them as well. (Not to mention the entire prep period it takes to get then over to my classroom, plugged in and networked so students can make the most of their 40 minutes of class time.) I now know more about the wifi features of our laptop computers and the dead zones of the network that other teachers use me as a resourse at times.
This March we will receive inservice training on a new software platform to replace Blackboard Academy for online learning, discussion groups, assignment posting etc... After I already put 50 hours or more of my own time teaching myself Blackboard to be able to use it this year!
So, onward... this marking period, we'll try podcasting from mobile phones with my high school seniors. I am both excited and apprehensive since the cell phone camera project met with mixed success.
The success of my Game Plan can be measured, I guess, in my change of attitude. Obstacles are not road blocks; they are simply hurdles to jump over. I have begun wearing my running shoes to school every day.
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Response to Christine
ReplyDeleteI'm interested in the mobile laptop lab. Our lab is very old and outdated. It is very hard to use, since there's only 19 working computers right now. I would like to look into getting a grant for a mobile laptop lab. What is involved with the wifi and wireless network that the laptops use? All of our school's computers use wires to connect to the network.
Are your students allowed to use cell phones at school? I know at our high school, if teachers see a cell phone out, they are to take it to the office. I feel that cell phone use in the classroom has good points and bad points. I like your new attitude towards technology's obstacles!
First, I admire your school's rule. Our cell phone rule is unenforced. Students text each other between classes and during class if they are not caught. Instead of fighting students, I mean to use the technology they cannot keep their hands off. (but ... I am still taking them away when used inappropriately during class time)
ReplyDeleteThe laptop carts are a simple solution. I plug in the cart to the computer access point in the wall of the classroom. The cart has a small wireless router that sends out a wifi signal to the ten laptops on the cart. The cart also holds a printer and a power strip for all computers to recharge through a single outlet plug when not in use. Students can log into the school's network with their personal id on these laptops, access their files and any software that the school's network delivers.